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"bv' 







Robert Vose 



AND HIS 



Times 



Compiled by 
ELLEN F. VOSE and 
MARY H. HINCKLEY 



L Robert Vose in England. 

IL His Arrival in New England 
and Settlement in Milton. 

in. Milton in 1662. 

IV. Second Meeting House and 
Vose's Lane. 

V. Customs in Robert Vose's 
Time—Close of Life. 



Reprinted from The Milton Record, Nov.— Dec, 1910. 



F7f- 



\i. "Jr. "\S0j3A. 



K3 - '.SI 



ROBERT VOSE IN ENGLAND 



Robert Vosc was born in Lancas- 
hire, England, about 1599. He was a 
resident there in 1650, though the 
statement has many times appeared 
that he came to America in 1635 with 
Richard Mather. The first appearance 
of iiis iiame m New Eiu^land was in 
1654, when lie purchased from the 
heirs of "me worshipful Mr. John 
Qlover" of JBoston, "for the sum of 
thiee hundred and fowre score pounds 
sterl," over 500 acres of land in that 
part of Dorche&toj- called Unquatiquis- 
set or Unouity, which, In 1G62, was 
incorporated in the town of Milton. 
The obligation v/as dated 13 July, 
1654. He was at float time a "gentle- 
man of Dorchefcier," so had been in 
New England long enough to estab- 
lish a residence, but the exact time 
of his arrival i.s unknown. 

He was the youngest son of Thom- 
as Vose of Lancashire; apparently 
a man of c'l)ility and influeace, and 
belonged to the period which wit- 
nessed the siruggles of the Reforma- 
tion. 

The Puritan'sin of Lancashire was 
confined largely to the southern part. 
A group of L'uiii.ans had sprung up 
in and about To\teiU Park near Liv- 
erpool, and Richard Mather, when 
only a boy, taught ihc-ir children. Ma- 
ther was won over to Puritanism and 
in preparation for the ministry en- 
tered Erasonose college, Oxford, but 
before he completed his course his 
friends induced him to become their 
minister at Toxteth chapel. As this 
ancient chapel was considered in sorae 
respects private property and was not 
only retdi'u^d by nonconforming min- 
isters after the passing of the Act of 
Uniformity, [hji was licensed under 
the Act of Toleration ac a preaching 
place for dissenteis, Richard Mather, 
at first, was not much troubled for his 
nO'niconformity. But he was not the 



sort of man to confine bis ministry to 
a village congregation and was a fre- 
quent preacher in many of the neigh- 
boring churches and cliajjels: fcr 
this he was finally so "scolded," 
and thre.^tencd with fine and impris- 
onment if he did not desist, that in 
1035 he sailed for New Eigland and 
settled in Do; Chester. A.s schoolmas- 
icr and minister' in IL'iiyland, Richard 
Mather officiated in the parishes of 
which the Voses were residents, and 
is found a witness to the will of Ed- 
ward Vose, an uncle of Robert Vose. 

Thomas Vose, Robert's father, ap- 
pears as a donor for the mainteTancc 
of a 'ireacJ'ing minister in two l>an- 
cashiro i^arishes and for a free school 
at Much Woolton. The duty of a 
preacning nnnisier was not only to 
solemnize th(} parochial services but 
lo itinerate in the neighborhood and 
preach in its several churches and 
chapels, the doctrines of the Reforma- 
tion. 

"It was not until after the outbreak 
of the great Civil war in the summer 
of 1042, and until the consequent 
plundering and raiding by the armies 
on either side that the attention of 
the House of Commons was called to 
the cfises of Puritan ministers dis- 
turbed or ejected by the Royalist 
army in various parts of the country." 
"The first mention of the subject of 
relief 'of the ministers that are plun- 
dered' is contained in an order of the 
Commons of 27 Dec. 1642, appointing 
a collection on their behalf in all the 
parishes in and about Londoi. l<"'our 
days later a committee was appoint- 
ed to consider of the fittest way for 
llic relief of such good and well af- 
fected ministers as have bee i plun- 
dered, and likewise to consider wnat 
malignant persons have benefices here 
in and about this town, whose livings 
being sequestered, these may supply 
the cure and receive tJie profits," 



ROBERT VOSE AND HIS TIMES 



"The explanation of the hitherto 
most unexplained problem of Common- 
wealth church history lies in the 
growth of the powers of the body thus 
created coming to be as it did, with 
its legitimate successors, the trustees 
for the maintenance of ministers, a 
board of Ecclesiastical Commission- 
ers for a completely disestablished 
and a partially disendowed English 
Church." 

By virtue of an act of Parliament 
l)assed on the 8th of June 1649, en- 
;itled, "An Act for the providing 
maintenance of preaching ministers 
and other pious uses," commissioners 
were appointed in each county to re- 
port upon the state of each parish, 
and to forward their reports to Lon- 
don. 

"The Lancashire Commissio i is 
dated March 29, 1650, and the first 
meeting was held in Manchester on 
June 19, following. The Inquisition or 
inquiry was taken before a local jury 
of men of good standing and position 
whose names are given, and before 
whom witnesses were brought and ex- 
amined." On the list of jurors with 
twenty others are the names of John 
and Robert Vose, gentlemen; they 
were the sons of Thomas Vose. "By 
the service of this commission the 
condition of the more indigent and 
deserving clergy was considerably 
improved and would have been much 
more improved if all their recom- 
mendations had beei observed." 

"The survey showed that there were 
in Lancashire in 1650, 64 parish 
churches and 118 chapels, of which no 
less than 38 were without ministers, 
chiefly for want of maintenance." The 
following is an abstract from the re- 
port concerning Farnworth, a village 
in the township of Widnes, an an- 
cient chapelry with a chapel dedicat- 
ed to St. Wilfred. Withm a lew years 
the church which is supposed to be 
of the age of Henry VIII, has been 
restored. The register begins in 1538. 

"For the p'sent there is none that 
supplyeth the Cure there. In respect 
there is but three pounds six shill- 
ings eight pence per annum w'ch is 
allowed by Pattent out of the Reven- 
ues of the Dutchy of Lancaster for 



the preaching Mlnist'r there; and one 
Donative of Tenn pounds given by 
Thomas Vause (Vose) deceased, the 
interest of which goes to the use of 
the manteynance of a p'eaching Min- 
ister att Farneworth." 

The Report in regard to the chapel 
in the township of Hale is, that it is 
fit to be made a parish church and 
Haiebancke and part of Halewood in- 
cluded in the parish. "That the tyth 
of thai pt ct Halewood amounteth to 
nyneteen pounds p ann, and the small 
tythes belong to the Viccarr worth 
20s p ann; and wee find that there is 
no Parsonage or Viccarage p'seitative 
w'th'n the Towneshipp of Hale af- 
foresaid, and that there is a whyte 
rent of three shillings five pence in 
Hale afforesaid; and that there is a 
donative of fhve pounds given to the 
Chappelrie for the manteynance of a 
Minist'r by Thomas Vause (Vose) late 
deceased; and remains in the hands 
of Thomas Linley for the use of the 
Minist'r afforesaid when there is any 
that supplyes the Cure there, which 
is for (the) p'sent vacant." 

The small amount of money in cir- 
culation in those days is showi by 
the pay to borough members which 
was usually 'two shillings a day be- 
fides the expense of travelling to and 
from Westminster. The knights ol 
I he shire were allowed 4 shillings and 
afterv/Trds 6 shillings a day, which 
great expense on one occasion i i- 
duced the careful freeholders of Lan- 
cashire to unite with their neighbors 
of Cumberland in sending one mem- 
ber between them, each county paying 
half his wages." 

The school in Much Woolton which 
received a donation by the will of 
Thomas Vose was founded iu 1641. 
Previous to the Reformation only 
three grammar schools existed in the 
county, and tiiey had recently been 
founded. One of these three schools 
was in Farnworth which became "a 
sort of nursery for Lancashire Puri- 
tans." Richard Mather was school- 
master there at one time. "Before this 
the only education to be obtained by 
the poor was in the monasteries and 
the tew boys educated there were us- 
ually trained for the priesthood." It 



ROBERT VOSE IN ENGLAND 



would seem that writing by no means 
kept pace with reading and learning. 
Even in the towns few of the trades- 
men could write. We get an inciden- 
tal glimpse of the education of the 
clergy of this period in the provision 
made for tlie teaching of writing and 
singing in the Free Grammar School 
at Rivington. A stipend is alloted to 
the curate of the church if he teach, 
but if he will not or cannot teach to 
sing and write another teacher is to 
be provided. The statutes imply that 
the purpose of the school (Rivington) 
is to prepare its pupils for the church, 
and the still unsettled state of doc- 
trine is shown by "the eldest sort who 
are ready to become ministers must 
be perfected in Calvin's Catechism and 
Institutions," 

Rev. E. E. Hale says, "the words 
Grammar School and Free School, 
carry with them in England different 
signification than those to which we 
are accustomed in America. In Eng- 
land a large number, if not all of the 
endowed schools are called 'gram- 
mar schools' because tlieir founders 
wished to have boys taught to read 
Latin and Greek. It would be fair to 
say that there was no English gram- 
mar at that time, as in fact there has 
never been. To endow a free gram- 
mar school meant that the boys of 
its neighborhood should be taught 
without charge to read Latin and 
Greek. It really happens in England 
to this day, that a boy may go to an 
endowed school and receive free edu- 
cation in Latin and Greek whose 
friends would have to pay for in- 
struction in German and French in 
the same school. With us a free 
school means one which makes no pe- 
cuniary charge for any scholar. In 
England a free grammar school may 
mean a school where the classical 
languages so called, are taught to all 
comers, while for other studies a pay- 
ment is exacted. This was in general 
the expression of a pious wish that 
the languages of the Vulgate and Sep- 
tuagint, the Latin and Greek versions 
Of the scriptures, might be widely 
known among the people." 

At about the time Thomas Vose 
made his donation to assist in the 
foimding of a free school in Lan- 



cashire, England, steps were taken by 
the Puritans in Dorchester, New Eng- 
land, to establish, with a different 
basis, a free school here, said to be 
the first public provision made for a 
free school in America by a direct tax 
on the inhabitants of a town. The 
order relating to it reads as follows: 
"It is ordered that the 20th of May, 
1639, that there shall be a rent of 201s 
yearly forevr imposed upon Tomson'a 
Hand to bee payd by evy p'son that 
hath p'prtie in the said Hand accord- 
ing to the p'portion that any such 
p'son shall fro tyme to tyme inioy 
and posesse there, and this towards 
the mayntenance of a sclioole in Dor- 
chestr this rent of 2013 yeerly to be 
payd to such a schoolmaster as shall 
undertake to teach english, latiu 
and other tongues, and also writing the 
sayd schoolmaste to bee chosen fro 
tyme to tyme p the freemen and that 
is left to the discretion of elders and 
the 7 men for the tyme beeing wheth- 
er maydes shalbe taught with the 
boyes or not." 

^he rules and orders presented to 
the town and confirmed by vote later 
concerning the school were to the 
end that, all things that concern the 
school shall be ordered and disposed 
in the way "most conducible for the 
glory of God, and the trayning up of 
the children of the towne in religion, 
learning and Civilitie." 

In 1647 the Colonial government 
passed the following law in regard to 
schools: "It being one chief project 
of Satan to keep men from the know- 
ledge of the Scripture, as in former 
times keeping them in unknown 
tongues, so in these latter times by 
perswading from the use of tongues 
that so at least the true sence and 
meaning of the originall might be 
clouded and corrupted with false 
classes of deceivers, to the end there- 
fore that learning may not be Buried 
in the graves of our forefathers in 
Church and Commonwealth, the Lord 
attending our endeavors. It is there- 
fore ordered by this Court and Author- 
ity thereof, that every Township in 
this Jurisdiction, after the Lord has 
increased them to the number of fifty 
householders, shall then forthwith ap- 
point one within their towns to teach 



ROBERT VOSE AND HIS TIMES 



all such cliildren as shall resort to 
Mm to Write and Read, where Wages 
shall be payd, either by the Parents 
or Masters of such children or by the 
inhabitants in generall, by way of 
supply as the major part of them that 
order the prudentials of the town 
shall appoint, Provided that those 
which send their children be not 
Oppressed by paying much more than 



they can have them taught for in 
other towns." 

Thus we see, as Dr. Hale says, "just 
the same wish expressed itself in our 
early New England legislation, which 
provided that boys should have a free 
education in the classical languages to 
the end that Satan might be foiled in 
his wish to keep the Bible from man- 
kind." 



HIS ARRIVAL IN NEW ENGLAND AND SETTLEMENT 

IN MILTON 



Returning to affairs in England we 
find that the knowledge and experi- 
ence gained on the Lancashire church 
surveys of 165U was valuable prepara- 
tion for the work Robert Vose was to 
perform later in New England. In 
1650, as has been shown, he was still in 
Lancashire, England. Whatever part 
Richard Mather may have played in 
the next important step in Robert 
Vose's career is only matter of con- 
jecture. But in 1654 we find Robert 
Vose in Dorchester, New England, 
purchaser of the large estate of the 
late John Glover, and it is not sur- 
prising to find Richard Mather a 
witness to the deed of conveyance, 
showing the two Lancashire men had 
met again in New Eligland. 

John Glover, Richard Mather and 
Robert Vose were all from Lancashire, 
but did not come to New England at 
the same time. With Robert Vose 
cam? his Avife Jane, two daughters, 
and three sons; the eldest son died in 
Milton, unmarried. 

Robert Vose was now a man of 
fifty and more, versed in civil and 
ecclesiastical affairs; possessed of 
material resources, and well qualified 
to be a leader in the community 
where he had cast in his lot. 

By the purchase of the land belong- 
ing to the heirs of John Glover, he 
became the largest resident landhold- 
er in Milton at the time of incorpora- 
tion. His purchase consisted of thir- 
teen separate parcels of land de- 
scribed in a verbose deed of convey- 
ance, occupying six pages of printed 
matter, in which the names of Ann 
Glover, executrix of the estate, and 
her sons, Mr. Habakkuk Glover, Mr. 
John Glover, Mr. Nathaniel Glover and 
Mr. Pellatier Glover, their heirs, as- 
signs, executors and administrators 
are mentioned seventeen times and 



Mr. Robert Vose, his heirs, assigns, 
executors and administrators are 
mentioned fifteen times. The follow- 
ing are the different parcels acquired: 
A farm of one hundred and 
forty acres and dwelling house; 
ten acres near Robert Redman; 
one hundred acres on Providence 
Plain; twenty acres of meadow 
adjoining; thirty-five acres he pur- 
chased of John Phillips adjoining the 
farm; thirty acres adjoining the 
above lot; one half of two lots of 
common land on south side of the Ne- 
ponset river; forty acres of meadow 
near Mr. Stoughton's farm; forty 
acres of upland near the Blue Hills; 
a certain "scurt" of land near the 
"playne;" three-quarters of an acre 
for a landing place below Mistress 
Stoughton's mill; six acres of salt 
marsh, and other lands not specifi- 
cally accounted for, amounting in all, 
not including the latter, to over five 
hundred acres. 

In 1838, an ancient plan of Milton 
on parchment was discovered among 
the papers belonging to the Proprie- 
tors of Dorchester, inscribed with the 
■"^- memorandum: — "This plan 
was drawn on a paper plat formerly 
made by Mr. John Oliver for the 
Town of Dorchester, and now by 
their order is drawn on parchment 
by Joshua Fisher, April 25, 1661." John 
Oliver died in 1646. The following en- 
try occurs in the Dorchester Town 
Records: "9 (7) 1661, 40 shillings 
that Lieutenant Fisher had for new 
drawing of the map." 

This plan furnishes the outlines of 
the town of Milton at the time the 
first grants were taken up. Among 
these is outlined a part of the grant 
to John Glover from the town of Dor- 
chester in 1644 and sold to Robert 
Vose in 1654. It is thus described in 



ROBERT VOSE AND HIS TIMES 



the deed: "All that Dwelling house 
and farme Where now Nicholas Wood 
dwells with ye barne Cowhouses out- 
houses yards orchards gardins with 
"Whatsoever privileges unto ye said 
house is hereunto belongeing or Ap- 
pertayneing wth seaven score acres 
of Upland and meadow more or less, 
within fence lying about ye said 
house, upon wch ye said house stand- 
eth, wth a parcell of Lande abou* 
tenne acres more or less between tTie 
ca!fe pasture and Robert Redmans." 



handed down from father to son to 
the fifth generation of Voses. It stood 
at the junction of Canton avenue and 
Brook Road, where the cellar was in 
evidence up to the middle of the last 
century. 

The westerly bound of the home- 
stead ran northwest from some point 
on Canton Avenue, not far from the 
Town Hall lot, straight to the brook, 
probably including the land on which 
the Vose school building stands; the 
northerly bound followed the brook 




SITE OF ROBERT VOSE'S HOUbE. 



Nicholas Wood here mentioned came 
over from the old country with Mr. 
Glover, and, as his agent or farmer, 
had charge of the cattle kept at the 
farm west of Milton Hill. 

This farm embracing a wide terri- 
tory of one hundred and seventy-six 
acres, as outlined on the plat, be- 
came the homestead of Robert Vose. 
The house here described was known 
as the "old Vose house" and was 



as it winds to its bend just beyond 
Ruggles Lane; the easterly bound 
ran from the last mentioned point, 
along the westerly slope of Milton 
Hill between Russell and School 
Streets to Churchill's Lane, including 
the Glover school lot and other es- 
tates on School street, and the West- 
on estate and land formerly of Mrs. 
Francis Cunningham; the southerly 
bound was the parallel line to the 



HIS ARRIVAL IN NEW ENGLAND AND SETTLEMENT IN MILTON 



point of beginning. Although Robert 
Vose's territory extended south of it, 
the parallel line is described as the 
southerly boundary of the homestead. 
The parallel line marked by a 
stone wall, ran from the southwest- 
erly slope of Milton Hill on the east 
to the fresh meadows or present Can- 
ton line on the west. After the town 
of Milton was incorporated, the road 
now known as Canton Avenue was 
laid out on this central parallel line 
from Atherton's tavern to Centre 
Street. "The line continued from Cen- 
tre Street to Vose's Lane and still on 
straight, north of the Blanchard 
estate to Randolph Avenue. From here 
until it reached Churchill's Lane just 
beyond where the sewer crosses, it 
has become extinct by later trans- 
fers." 

Although Robert Vose was not a 
church member, he was active and 
zealous in the maintenance and ad- 
vancement of the ministry. His ser- 
vice on the Lancashire church sur- 
veys had no doubt given him inter- 
est and understanding of the needs 
of the clergy, and in 1662i he made a 
gratuitous conveyance of eight 
acres of his estate to the town for 
"ministerial purposes." 

On the land thus donated was built 
a parsonage or ministerial house, by 
eighteen of the inhabitants or free- 
holders of the town of Milton, who 
"covenant and agree yt ye sd house 
and land, shall be and remain to be 
to ye use and behoof of such Minis- 
ter as God shall successively from 
time to time send amongst us." This 
was in accordance with an order of 
The first Court of Assistants holden 
at Charlton (Charlestcwn), August 
23th Ano Dm 1G30. Imp'r, it was 
ppounded howe the ministers should 
be mayntayned .... It was ordered 
that houses should be built for them 
with convenient speede, att the pub- 
lique charge." 

The location of the "ministerial 
lot" had been accepted until recently 
as on Vose's Lane and Centre Street; 
it is so stated in the History of Mil- 
ton; but Mr. John A. Tucker in his 
exhaustive research has shown con- 
clusively that the lot was in that part 



of Robert Vose's farm described in 
the deed of conveyance as "a parcell 
of land about tenne acres more or 
less lying between the calf pasture 
and Robert Redman's." It took a part 
of the tract now occupied by the Wes- 
ton, Johnson, Apthorp and Peabody 
estates on the east of Randolph Ave- 
nue, reaching back to Churchill's 
Lane, and by the Beck, Emerson, 
Wood and Sigourney property on the 
west side of the avenue. An old wall 
at the rear of the last mentioned es- 
tates was probably the bound on the 
west end of this ten-acre lot, and be- 
yond that was the lot called the calf 
pasture. The southern boundary was 
the swamp. The parsonage was on 
Churchill's Lane and at the head of 
the lane stood the first meeting- 
house. 

In 1681, after the ordination of Rev. 
Peter Thacher, the first settled minis- 
ter of Milton, the town voted to con- 
vey to him twenty acres of the minis- 
terial land near the centre of the 
town. 

Notwithstanding the possession of 
this land, Mr. Thacher continued to 
live in the parsonage on Churchill's 
Lane until 1689, when he built a new 
house for himself on Providence 
Plain, on land which he had pur- 
chased of Thomas Vose in 1683, and 
which adjoined the ministerial land 
given him. The old parsonage on 
Churchill's Lane, having served its 
purpose, was then sold to Robert 
Vose's son Edward, who held adja- 
cent lands. 

Some of us recall the old house 
that used to stand near the private 
way running between Churchill's Lane 
and Randolph Avenue; it was called, 
"the Hollis House." Mr. Tucker says: 
"It is said to have been an old Vose 
house, audit is barely possible it was- 
the same house which served for the 
parsonage in Peter Thacher's day. Not 
many years ago the house was burn- 
ed. The parsonage or its successor 
appears to have been the only house 
on what was the eight acre ministry 
grounds till Thomas Hollis, Jr., built 
the Sigourney house about 1834." 

When Robert Vose settled here 
in 1654, there was not a recorded 



1(.(;BERT VOSE AND HIS TIMES 



road in this part of Dorcliester, south 
of the Neponset, and no way across 
the river except by a ford. Mistress 
Stoughton had a foot-bridge with a 
hand-rail by the mill. In 1664 there 
were three recorded roads in the 
town; the "country Heigh Waye" over 
Milton Hill, now Adams Street, laid 
out in 1654; "the way from the land- 
ing place by the mill through Robert 
Vose's farm" now Canton Avenue, 
166(>; and "the way to John Ffennos 
house leading to the Blue Hills." now 
Churchiirs Lane, 1661. 

Brook Road, leading from Vose's 
Lane, by the Vose school building, 
and crossing the brook is an ancient 
way, shown by the following record: 

At a meeting of the Selectmen the 



8 (11) 1671, "The same day Thomas 
Swiit Junr as selectman of Melton 
came before the select men, to be re- 
solved in a question concerning a way 
runing through Goodman Vose his 
farme from John Gil's barrs unto the 
fowerteenth lott, whether ther should 
not be alowance for the land which 
the way taks upp; In answer thereun- 
to the Select men of Dorchester saith, 
that the use of the way and the right 
thereunto was long before Goodman 
Vosse, or Mr. Glover had a farme 
granted or laid out, and therefore we 
conclud that when the farme was 
laid out, there was alowance in meas- 
uer for the highway, and nothing de- 
manded for alowance ever since until 
of late." 



MILTON IN 1662 



In 1659 Robert Vose was one of tlie 
four men chosen as a committee for 
the laying out of the Common Lands, 
and in 1662 he was one of the three 
petitioners for the incorporation of 
Milton. 

The town then was for the most 
part a wilderness, with a few scat- 
tered farms and some open pasturage 
land. The huge task these early set- 
tlers undertook was to make this 
strange wilderness habitable, and to 
that end all shared the labor and 
hardships alike. One of the first 
things to be done, as shown by the 
records, was to run the boundary lines 
which at this early period, were not 
definitely established, between Dor- 
chester and Roxbury, Dorchester and 
Braintree, or the several grants of 
lots. There was laying out of lots, 
and highways; fixing pales about the 
lots; keeping in order all fences 
about their own farms, as required by 
law; keeping their cattle, horses, 
sheep, swine and goats within pre- 
scribed bounds; the cattle branded 
and the swine ringed and yoked as 
required; killing wolves which infest- 
ed the region and for which a bounty 
■was paid; (The same Day, 8: 12, 
1657, the constable, John Capen, was 
to pay unto Robert Vose for a wolfe, 
1-0-0.") felling and hewing trees for 
building timber and fencing as per- 
mitted; bringing their land under a 
state of cultivation and then making 
war on the blackbirds that destroyed 
their crops; ordering and conducting 
the affairs of the town; meeting the 
problem of taxes, of which that for the 
support of the ministry was no small 
I»art; and performing military service 
during Indian hostilities. In the In- 
dian disturbances of 1675-6 the outly- 
ing districts even in Milton were 
deemed unsafe on acocunt of them. 
William Trescott, who lived on the 
farm afterwards belonging to Hon. 



James M. Robbins, asked for the 
"abatement of his taxes 1675-6, be- 
cause of the troubles of the wars, 
whereby he deserted his place at 
Brush Hill." 

Nearly opposite Robbins Street is 
a lane leading from Canton Avenue 
towards the Blue Hills Reservation, 
once known as "the way over to the 
Old Wolfe Pets;" it runs in a south- 
erly direction and in former times, 
turning easterly, crossed Pine Tree 
brook and continued through the 
Town Farm lot and the Russell estate 
to land formerly of Samuel Wads- 
worth. In 1698 Gov. William Stough- 
ton sold to William Sumner five acres 
of land, described in the deed of con- 
veyance as "South of the Brook that 
runs under the Pine Tree bridge and 
below the path that goes over the 
Brook aboves'd a little below a little 
fresh meadow" which lies at the place 
known and called by the name of the 
Wolfe Pitts." This locality is on the 
southerly side of Canton Avenue in 
the neighborhood of Harland Street. 
West of Highland Street, now partly 
included in the estate of Philip P. 
Chase is a tract of land known as the 
"Wolf Pit lot." The pits were covered 
over with brush not strong enough to 
bear the weight of a wolf, and baited 
with the carcass of a sheep or some 
other animal. Once caught in the 
pit, it was impossible for the wolf to 
spring out again. 

It will give us an idea of the sparse 
settlement of Milton at that time to 
learn in what part of the town the 
eighteen inhabitants lived who signed 
the covenant in regard to the minis- 
terial house and land, for they prob- 
ably comprised the entire number of 
freeholders then constituting the town 
of Milton; the majority of them held 
by turns nearly every town office, and 
many of them lived to four score 
years of age. Seven of the eighteen 



llOiiERT VOSE AND HIS TIMES 



names are borne by families, lineal 
descendants, living in the town today. 

First in the list of signers is Rob- 
ert Vose, whose place of residence at 
the junction of Canton avenue and 
Brook Road, has already been de- 
scribed. 

Anthony Gulliver's house stood on 
Squantum Street on the north side of 
Unquity brook. 

Samuel Wadsworth, who later lost 
his life in King Phillip's war, 
lived in a house that stood in the 
triangle formed by Randolph Avenue, 
Highland Street and Reed's Lane. The 
house is said to have been burned in 
1669. 

Thomas Vose lived on Gun Hill 
Street. 

Robert Redman lived on Churchill's 
Lane, and John Fenno was his neigh- 
bor on the east side of the lane. 

Robert Babcock's house stood on 
the site of Mr. T. Edwin Ruggles's 
house on Ruggles Lane. The oldest 
part of the house is said to be the 
original Badcock house. The brook 
is styled in old records "Robert 
Badcock's river." 

James H often or Houghton, bought 
of Nicholas Ellen and Mary, his 
wife, who Tvas the widow of Rob- 
ert Pond, the house and land on both 
sides Lincoln Street that belonged to 
Robert Pond. He may have lived 
there. 

Robert Tucker lived on Brush Hill 
"at the upper end of the old high- 
way where it joined Brush Hill Road." 
His house, as indicated in his will, 
stood on the southwest corner of 
Robbins Street and Brush Hill Road. 

David Himes's residence has not 
been ascertained. Nothing has been 
foand to show that he was a land- 
holder. There is the record of his 
marriage in Dorchester and the birth 
of four children in Milton. Accord- 
ing to the Dorchester records the 
Widow Himes suffered under the 
order relating to the entertainment 
of strangers in that town. "The 9th 
(7) 1667. The same day William 
Sumner was desired to speak with 
the Widdow Hims (who is lately come 
into this town) to informe her that 



she must returne to the place from 
whence she came." This was in ac- 
cordance with a Colonial law, "That 
noe p'son should take into ther 
house ore habitation any p'son with- 
out the alowance ore consent off the 
selectmen upon such penalty as the 
selectmen shall see good to lay upon 
them." 

William Salisbury lived on 
Churchill's Lane and abutted Robert 
Vose on the south. Anthony New- 
ton owned land east of him nearer 
Gulliver's Creek. Both men were in- 
terested in shipbuilding that was car- 
ried on at a very early date, at or 
near the landing place, now Gulli- 
ver's Creek. 

Thomas Swift lived on the south- 
west side of Adams Street near 
Dudley Road of today; the house 
stood in the field about forty rods 
back from the street. 

William Daniel lived and kept a 
tavern where the house of the late 
Theodore Glover nov/ stands. The 
Foye mansion occupied the same 
site before the Glover house was 
built. Tho only record we have of 
the Rev. Mr. Bouse who preached as 
a candidate here in 1670, is Good- 
man Daniel's charge of one shilling 
and sixpence, "for bread and wine 
for Mr. Bouse." The town record 
reads: "It was agreed by vote that 
Mr. Bouse should be desired to be 
helpful to us by way of trial." Rev. 
Mr. Bouse appears to have been 
weighed in the balance and found 
wanting. 

Richard Collicott was here very 
early be^fore the arrival of the 
Dorchester people. He was a fur 
trader and Brought into close rela- 
tions with the Indians. He is said 
to have built the first house in Un- 
quity, (Milton) on the west side of 
Adams Street near the junction of 
Centre Street. 

John Gill lived in Unquity be>- 
fore 1652. His house stood on the 
north side of Adams Street, almost 
opposite the opening of Pleasant 
Street. 

Henry Crane lived at what is 
now East Milton, on the north side 
of Adams Street. His house stood 



MILTON IN 1662 



back from the street between the 
present residences of Messrs. Bax- 
ter and Simpson. His eslate was the 
limit of the town in ttiat direction. 

Stephen Kinsley's house stood 
on the north side^ of Adams Street, 
on land now owned by Ernest Bow- 
ditch. He was at first a resident of 
Braintree. "In 1653 he was ordained 
as a ruling elder of the Braintree 
church, removed to Unquity at an 
early date, and instituted religious 
worship in the east part of the town 
in connection with some of the in- 
habitants of Braintree. The services 
may have been conducted by himself 
or by some clergyman of whom there 
is no mention in oar records." 

"Regular preaching services were 
held in Unquity and Milton at ]east 
twenty-two years before a church was 
organized." 

It is not to be supposed that the 
brethren here were more contentious 
than those elsewhere. But whatever 
the reason, there was no church or- 
ganization in Milton until 1678, six- 
teen years after the incorporation of 
the town, and then, according to the 
records, "becaus of some oppossision 
yt did appear," the Milton Church was 
organized in the Mother church at 
Dorchester. 

Ministers were settled by the 
towns in town meetings and 
the salary was established and 
voted, and in 1654, "that there 
may be a settled and encourag- 
ing maintenance of ministers in all 
towns and congregations within their 
jurisdiction, it is ordered that the 
county court in every shire shall, up- 
on information given them, of any 
defect of any congregation or town 
within the shire, order and appoint 
what maintenance shall be allowed 
the ministers of the places and shall 
issue out warrants to the Selectmen 
to assess the Inhabitants, which the 
constable of the said town shall col- 
lect ahd levy as other Town rates." 

The Town Meeting was an open, 
free, deliberative assembly, where 
affairs of the church and local gov- 
ernment were discussed and settled 
with outspoken independence. Liber- 
ty of discussion in town meetings, 
at length had to be curbed. In 1645 



it was voted by the inhabitants of 
Dorchester that in order to prevent 
"the disorderly Jarringe of our Meet- 
inges and the intemperate clashings 
and hasty indigested and Rash votes, 
that votes of any concernment be first 
drawne up in meetinge and then de- 
liberately published 2 or 3 tymes and 
Liberty given for any to speake his 
mind moderately and meekly and then 
the Signe to be required, and things 
more orderly carried and dispach'd." 

In the early days the meeting- 
house was not considered a sacred ed- 
ifice, "Until after the Revolutionary 
War it was universally used as a pow- 
der magazine." It was used for town- 
meetings and also served as a store- 
house. "Squirrels attracted by the 
grain stored in the loft, ex- 
ercised their nibbling habit on 
Bible and pulpit cushions, so 
that in some localities on every 
Sunday afternoon the Word of 
God and its sustaining cushion had ta 
be removed to the safe shelter of a 
neighboring farm house or tavern to 
prevent total annihilation by these 
Puritanical, Bible-loving squirrels." 
On the meeting-house were posted 
matters of public interest, marriage 
intentions, notices, orders and regula- 
tions, sales etc. The following has. 
been preserved: 

"Strayes. 
Milton, Jan. 24. 1672. 

There is in the hands of Thomas 
Voss of Milton, two steers about 3 
yeares old, the one red with two 
Nicks in the off ear, and a short 
tayle, the other black with two white 
Leggs behind, and ye end of his tayle 
white, a Piece cut out of his off ear, 
they wer taken up the 26 Xbr last 
and were Prized by Thomas Swift 
and Samuel Wadsworth both at 4 
pounds, haveing been cried three 
times according to Law." 

The wolf-killer was ordered to 
bring the gory head, if he wished to 
obtain the reward, and "nayle it to 
the meeting house and give notis 
thereof." On the green stood the 
horse-blocks to aid the women and 
the old men to mount and dismount, 
and also "those Puritanical instru- 
ments of punishment, the stocks, 
whipping post, pillory and cage." 



ROBERT VOSE AND HIS TIMES 



■'Our Puritan fathers made it a mat- 
ter of conscience to call the days of 
the week by numerals, and to call 
the months in the same way, as the 
<^uakers do to this day . . . They 
thought it was giving honor to the 
heathen gods, and to pagan worship, 
to call their days Sunday or Monday 
■or Tuesday or Wednesday, or to call 
their months January or March or 
May. But while this scruple has been 
so tenacious among the Friends, that 
even Mr. Whittier continued to follow 
it as long as he lived, our Puritan 
fathers had laid it aside before their 
colonies had completed their first cen- 
tury." 

Geo. E. Ellis, contrasting New Eng- 
land history during its Puritan age 
with the contemporary history of the 
Puritans wiio remained in England, 
says: "The influences of their exile 



with deprivations and hardships, and 
their freedom to follow out to ex- 
tremes their own proclivities, pre- 
judices and fancies tended to an ex- 
aggeration of the natural austerity of 
the Puritanism here while it was held 
in restraint among Puritans at home. 
The ivy-clad churches and towers, 
the chime of bells, the sports on the 
green, the village festivals, the bridal 
revelries and the holiday delights, all 
entering into the heritage of 'Merry 
England,' were not without their soft- 
ening and amiable working upon the 
sentiments even of those least in sym- 
pathy with them because of their Pur- 
itan spirit. But the exiles here part- 
ed with all these mute and pleading 
influences which soften and enrich 
the heart and cheer the routine of toil 
and brighten the family home." 



SECOND MEETING HOUSE AND VOSE'S LANE 



Good Peter Thacher evideatly had 
misgivings about his ability to shep- 
herd the wilful Milton flock, for in 
his address accepting the call to the 
church, after a residence of nine 
months among the people, he makes 
this significant remark: "Notwith- 
standing. . . my great discourage- 
ments in the work of the ministry, not 
only in respect of ye great duty and 
difficulty of ye work in itself consid- 
ered, but especially in ys place in 
respect of those lamentable animos- 
ityes and divisions which have been 
in ys place, which both occasioned 
your unsettlement untill now wch ye 
Lord for his own name sake pardon, 
and prevent for ye future.'" 

About 1670 when the building of the 
second meeting-house was under con- 
sideration, the first action taken in the 
matter was at a town meeting held 
Sept. 30, 1670, when it was decided to 
locate the new meeting house "neare 
about Goodman Vose his loked barre 
and also that the old meeting house 
should be repaired." 

"The vote of the town in regard to 
this place for the meeting house not 
being agreeable to Goodman Vose, the 
town early the next year, Jan. 12, 
1671, voted that the house should 
stand upon the 'est side of Goodman 
Vose's Lande at the corner of his son 
Thomas Vose's stone wall next to 
Henry Glover his house on the way 
sid and Robert Vose did agree there- 
unto.' This situation for a meeting 
house would have had the advantage 
of being near the cemetery. But 
though the number of inhabitants was 
limited there still appeared a lack of 
harmony causing another delay, and it 
was nearly a year later when a final 
decision was made." 

"This appears from the following 
extract taken from the town records: 
'At a public meeting in Milton the 
nth of the nth mo, 1671, it was vot- 



ed in the town that the meeting house 
shall be sot upon Goodman Vose's 
land near the locke bars and ye nei- 
bors . . . did freely consent thereun- 
to, also the town did purchase of 
Goodman Vose 6 rods square of land 
for to set the meeting house on and 
for consideration the 6 rods square 
the town was to allow Thomas Vose 
his rat to the meeting house freely.' 

The spot thus chosen was on the 
corner of Vose's Lane and Centre 
Street, and occupied about two-thirds 
of the present Blanchard estate." 

First and last the locating of the 
meeting house on his land was to 
Robert Vose the source of consider- 
able annoyance. After the meeting 
house was built, a highway was laid 
out across his land to which he object- 
ed as is shown by the following town 
record: "And whereas, the above said 
Committee, namely Capt. Hopestill 
Foster, Capt. Richard Bracket and 
Sargt. Thomas Gardinner in the year 
1673, the matter being left to them 
by the parties concerned as the rec- 
ord saith did then order and alow an 
open hyew^ay to lye and run from the 
meeting hous down to robart voses 
barn and from thence to the woods 
gate but it being greeuious to sd Vose 
the then present selectmen upon con- 
sideration did agree with sd vose to 
take of and remoue said way prouid- 
ed sd vose would give land two rods 
wide from the woods gate on the out- 
side of his land next Robart Bad- 
cocks land till it comes to the para- 
rill line, to be an open hye waye 
for the town's use w^hich two rods 
wide of land hath beene left and 
fenced out for sd use and seruis and 
is now improued for a waye for the 
town's use and it being neglected to 
make a record of sd agreement and 
remoueall of sd way in the time of it, 
we the present select men in this 



ROBERT VOSE AND HIS TIMES 



present year, 1694 do alow and con- 
firm the aboiie sd agreement and re- 
mouall of sd way as aboue said and do 
make record of the same this 26 day 
of February 1694-5. 

Thomas Vose, Town Clark." 
This was the origin of Vose's Lane. 

We have hints of Robert Vose's 
personal qualities. That he was pub- 
lic spirited and generous is shown by 
his gift to the town of the ministry 
lot. That he was a stubborn force 
when opposed to a measure, is shown 
by his attitude towards the town vote 
in regard to the location of the sec- 
ond meeting-house. We must infer 
that he was a man of hasty temper 
from the fact that Parson Thacher 
advised him to stand up in the con- 
gregation and acknowledge it. 

"Father Vose was with me I spake 
to him to acknowledge his passionate- 
ness in the congregation." Parson 
Thacher also jots down in his journal: 
'Difficulty about Father Vose's admis- 
sion to the church." Whatever the 
difficulty was it was overcome, for on 
.July 17, 168r, Father Vose was re- 
ceived into full communion with the 
Milton church. 

In 1657 Robert's daughter Elizabeth 
married Thomas Swift, son of Thomas 
Swift, senior, the emigrant from Eng- 
land, and in 1659 her father gave her 
verbally nineteen and three-quarters 
acres in the eleventh lot. This he 
confirmed by deed Feb. 23, 1663. The 
tract of land was south of the par- 
allel line and extended towards the 
Braintree line; it included the estate 
of Mr. Tuell, part of the estate of Mr. 
Wallace Pierce, and others. Traces 
of the old wall that formed the bound- 
ary line are still to be seen on the 
land of Mr. Pierce. 

In 1661 he gave his son Thomas, 
probably at the time of his marriage, 
six and one-quarter acres of land west 
of the eighth lot, a gift which he con- 
firmed by deed in April, 1672. Thomas 
was then in possession of the premises 
which were on the west side of Gun 
Hill Street. 

On May 23, 1666, Robert Vose was 
admitted to the freedom of the Col- 
ony. Very early it was enacted that 
freemen should be restricted to 



church members; it was in force un- 
til about 1664. It may be inferred 
that Robert did not become freeman 
until this time because he was not a 
churcli member. 

In 1669 and 1677 he was one of the 
selectmen of Milton, and in other 
years served on various committees 
appointed to look after the welfare 
of the town. 

In February, 1682, he gave his sorr 
Edward, mentioning him as his "eld- 
est son now living," the homestead of 
seven score acres, and six acres of 
salt marsh. Edward at the time was 
living on the farm and for several 
years had lived there; snrl a con- 
tract of even date with this instru- 
ment was made with his father, for 
his maintenance during life. 

Edward died m his eightieth year 
leaving most of the homestead to his 
son Nathaniel w^ho is to allow him "an 
honorable and comfortable mainten- 
ance." A portion of this land is still 
held by Robert Vose's descendants of 
the eighth generation. 

In January, 1682, Robert Vose sold 
to his son Thomas, for 228 pounds, 
more than half of his entire estate 
situated in different parts of the town. 
As this deed locates parts of Robert's 
estate not specifically placed, it may 
be well to mention in what part of 
the town they were situated. 

Seventy-one acres, more or less, in 
the northerly half of the 9th and 10th 
lots, on a part of which, at tHat 
time, Thomas's dwelling house stood, 
was land south of the parallel line, 
some eighty acres in all, extending 
nearly to Pleasant Street in one direc- 
tion and from Gun Hill Street probably 
to the Sias lot, including the Barnard, 
now Upton estate, and others. The 
dwelling house stood on the west side 
of Gun Hill Street, the clump of lilac 
bushes and old well there probably 
mark the exact site. 

The one hundred acres on Provi- 
dence Plain were granted Mr. Glover 
in 1644. The tract is described in the 
deed of Robert to Thomas Vose as hav- 
ing two houses and a barn standing 
upon the said land which is butted and 
bounded: "North, Naponsett River; 
east, Ezra Clapp; south, Balssons 



SECOND MEETING HOUSE AND VOSE'S LANE 



Brook; west, Dorchester Church land." 
sections of an old stone wall some 
fourteen rods west of Thacher Street 
still mark, here and there, the original 
boundary on the east; the western 
bound followed the line of an old 
stone wall, west of Blue Hill Park- 
way. The "twenty acres of meadow 
adjoining" extended up to and skirt- 
ed Pope's ice pond. 

The entire Vose lot of one hundred 
acres on Providence Plain finally came 
into the possession of the Thacher fam- 
ily. To the twenty-three acres "with a 
house and barn standing on the land" 
which Parson Thacher bought of 



Thomas Vose in 1683 for his home- 
stead, thirty-four years later his wife 
added by purchase of Henry, son of 
Thomas Vose, seventy-seven acres of 
upland and ten acres of meadow. 
The house mentioned in the deed 
of Thomas Vose to Parson 
Thacher was presumably unfit for oc- 
cupancy as he built a new house 
there before removing from the par- 
sonage on Churchill's Lane. 

In his journal Jan. 13, 1699, he 
wrote: "We had an exceeding great 
feat of wind for near 24 hours which 
blew down my little house and the 
wind was southwest and very cold." 



CUSTOMS IN ROBERT VOSE'S TIME— CLOSE OF LIFE 



It was in 1G89 that Parsou Thacher 
moved to his new house on' "Provi- 
dence Plain" linown thereafter as 
Thacher Plain, and here he lived un- 
til his death in 1727, ani event thus 
referred to by Judge Sewall in his 
Diary: 

•'lord's day, Dec. 17. I was sur- 
prised to hear Mr. Thacher of Milton, 
my old Friend, prayed for as danger- 
ously sick. Next day, Dec. 18, 1727, 
I am informed by Mr. Gerrish that 
my dear friend died last night; which 
1 "doubt bodes ill to Milton and the 
Province, his dying at this Time, 
though in the 77th year of his age. 
Deus avertat Omen! 

"Friday, Dec. 22, the day after the 
fast, was inter'd. Bearers Rev. Mr. 
Mehemiah Walter, Mr. Joseph Bax- 
ter, Mr. John Swift, Mr. Samuel Hunt, 
Mr. Joseph Sewall, Mr. Thomas 
Prince. I was inclined before and 
having a pair of Gloves sent me, I 
determined to go to the Funeral, if 
the Weather prov'd favorable, which 
it did, and I hired Blake's coach with 
four Horses. My son. "Sir. Cooper and 
Mr. Prince went with me. Refreshed 
there with Meat and Drink, got thith- 
er about half an hour past one. It 
was sad to see triumphed over my 
dear Friend! I rode in my Coach to 
the Burying place; not being able to 
get nearer by reason of the many 
Horses. From thence went directly up 
the Hill, where the Smith's shop, and 
so home very comfortably and easily, 
the ground being mollified. But when 
I came to my own Gate, going in, I 
fell down, a board slipping under my 
Left fool, my right Legg raised off the 
skin, and put me to a great deal of 
pain, especially when 'twas washed 
with rum. It was good for me that I 
was thus afflicted that my spirit 
might be brought into a frame more 
suitable to the Solemnity, which is apt 
to be too light; and by the loss of 
some of my skin, and blood I might 



be awakened to prepare for my own. 
Dissolution. Mr. Walter prayed before 
the corps was carried out. 1 had a 
pair of Gloves sent me before I went, 
and a Ring given me there. Mr. Mil- 
lar, the church of England minister, 
was there. At this Funeral I heard of 
the death of my good old Tenant Capt. 
-Nathaniel Miles, that very l-'riday 
morn. I have now been at the Inter- 
ment of four of my Classmates. . 
Now I can go to no more Funerals of 
my classmates nor none be at mine; 
for the survivors, the Kev. Mr. Sam- 
uel Mather, at Windsor and the Rev. 
Mr. Taylor at Westfield are one hun- 
dred miles off, and are entirely '^n- 
teelDled. 1 humbly pray that Christ 
may be graciously present with us all 
Three both in Life and in Death, and 
then we shall safely and comfort U)ly 
walk through the shady valley that 
leads to Glory." Judge Sewall was the 
last survivor eventually. 

In the time of Robert Vose, Puri- 
tan ministers were not permitted to 
perform the marriage service, for it 
was a purely civil contract, nor to of- 
ttciate at funerals. The following is 
from the "Annals of King's Chapel": 
On May 15, lt)86, the frigate 'Rose' 
from England brought the Rev. Robert 
Ratcliffe the first minister of the Eng- 
lish church who had ever come com- 
missioned to officiate on New England 
soil. It was proposed that he should 
have one of the three Congregational 
meeting-houses for services. This, 
however, was denied him, but he- 
was allowed the use of the library 
room in the east end of the Town 
House which stood where the Old 
State House now stands. Three 
days later on Tuesday, May 18, Judge 
Sewall thus records the first marriage- 
ceremony by a clergyman in Ne\r 
England. 

" Tuesday. May 18. A great wed- 
ding from Milton, and are married by 
Mr. Randolph's chaplain at Mr^ 



ROBERT YOSE AND HIS TIMES 



Shrimpton's accordin to ye Service- 
Book, a little after Noon, when Pray- 
er was had at ye Town House; Was 
another married at ye same time; 
The former was Vosse's son. Bor- 
rowed a ring. 'Tis sd they having 
asked Mr. Cook and Addington, and 
yy declining it, went after to ye Presi- 
dent, and he sent ym to ye Parson.' " 

The contracting parties were Hen- 
ry, grandson of Robert Vose, and Eliz- 
abeth, daughter of Robert Badcock, 
all of Milton. 

"Hutchinson says: 'I suppose there 
had been no instance of a marriage 
lawfully celebrated by a layman in 
England when they (Puritans) left it. 
I believe there was no instance of 
marriage by a clergyman after they ar- 
rived,, during their charter, but it 
was always done by a magistrate, or 
by persons specially appointed for 
this purpose.' May 29, 1686, after the 
wedding above described, Dudley 
issued a proclamation authorising the 
clerical function." 

Early New England funerals are 
thus described by Lechford: 

"At Burials nothing is read nor any 
Funeral Sermon made, but all the 
neighborhood or a good company of 
them come together by tolling of the 
bell, and carry the dead solemnly to 
his grave and there stand by him 
while he is buried. The ministers were 
commonly present," but took no part. 
One of the old Puritan writers said, 
"All prayers over or for the dead are 
not only superstitions and vain, but 
are also idolatry and against the plain 
scriptures of God." 

"After 60 or 70 years a few min- 
isters began to pray at funerals in 
Massachusetts, and Mather says, 
about 1719, in many towns the minis- 
ter made a prayer at the house and a 
short speech at the grave; in other 
places these were wholly omitted." 

The first instance, so far as known 
of a prayer at a funeral in Massachu 
setts, was at the burial of Rev. Wil 
Ham Adams from Roxbury in 1685 
Judge Sewall has noted it in his Diary 
"I took one Spell at carrying him 
Mir. Wilson (of Medfield) prayed with 
the company before they went to the 
grave." 



"There were, as a rule, two sets of 
bearers appointed; under-bearers, usu- 
ally young men, who carried the coffia 
on a bier; and pall-ibearers, men of 
age, dignity or consanguinity, who 
held the corners of the pall which 
was spread over the coffin and hung 
down over the heads of the under- 
bearers." 

"The order of procession to the 
grave was a matter of much etiquette. 
High respect and equally deep slights 
might be rendered to mourners in the 
place assigned. Judge Sewall often 
speaks of 'leading the widow in a 
mourning cloak.' " 

"Throughout New England, bills for 
funeral baked meats were large in 
items of rum, cider, whiskey, lemons, 
sugar, spice. A careful and above all 
an experienced committee was ap- 
pointed to superintend the mixing of 
the funeral grog or punch and to at- 
tend to the liberal and frequent dis- 
pensing thereof." 

"One great expense of a funeral 
was the gloves, sent as an approved 
and elegant form of invitation. At 
the funeral of the wife of Gov. Belcher 
in 1736. over one thousand pairs of 
gloves were given away. Rings were 
given at funerals, especially in weal- 
thy families, to near relatives and per- 
sons of note in the community. Judge 
Sewall records in his Diary in the 
years 1687-1725, the receiving of no 
less than fifty-seven mourning rings." 

In 1741 the Massachusetts Provin- 
cial Government finding "the giving 
of scarves, gloves, wine, rum and 
rings at funerals is a great and un- 
necessary expence, and while practic- 
ed will be detrimental to the Province 
and tend to the impoverishing of many 
families," — ordered "that no scarves, 
gloves (except six i>air to the bearers,, 
and one pair to each minister of the 
church or congregation where any 
deceased person belongs) wine, rum or 
or rings shall be allowed and given 
at any funeral, upon the penalty of 
fifty pounds to be forfeited by the ex- 
ecutor or administrator to the will or 
estate of the person interred, or other 
person that regulates or is at the ex- 
pence of the funeral (to be paid by 
him out of his own estate.)" One half 



ANCESTRAI^ LANDS NEAR BLUE HILL— CliOSE OF LIFE 



of this fine was given the informer 
and the other half "for the use of the 
poor where the person interred did 
last belong." 

The funeral of old Parson Thacher 
must have been an impressive scene. 
All the inhabitants of the town and 
many from outside the limits were 
probably in attendance at the parson- 
age on the Plain. It was December, 
the time of year when nature wears 
her grimmest, sternest aspect; leaf- 
less trees; brown, withered grasses; 
even the pleasant babble of the near- 
by brook frozen to silence; and in 
the midst, all face to face with the 
mystery of death. 

Into this grey setting the ruddy Sax- 
on face of old Judge Sewall in his 
coach and four, comes as a welcome 
relief, a touch of warm effective col- 
oring in a sombre picture. 

The Thacher family held the estate 
many years after Peter Thacher's 
death. In 1796 it was sold to Enoch 
Fenno, a potter. He carried on his 
business in a building that stood 
where the Robson house now stands. 
Long afterwards in 1834, the build- 
ing which had been converted into a 
dwelling house was burned. The 
fate of the old parsonage is unknown; 
it disappeared more than a century 
ago. The time came between 1834 
and 1846 when the entire Vose es- 
tate on "Providence Plaine" was with- 
out a human habitation. 

Dr. Teele said in 1895: "It is pro- 
posed, if possible to secure the land 
embracing the old cellar and with 
proper boundaries and inscriptions, 
pass it down to posterity as a sacred 
spot ever to be remembered." 

This has now been done. Moved 
by true sentiment for the past, Mr. 
John A. Tucker has bought the lots 
covering the site of Peter Thacher's 
home and thus rescued the spot from 
the obliteration that threatened. The 
elm growing from the cellar bears 
this inscription cemented into a cav- 
ity in the trunk of the tree. "Peter 
Thacher, His Journal, 1684. Dec. 5, 
Bbed began to dig clay to make 
bricks;" and below this: "Peter 
Thacher, His Home 1689-1727." Ebed 
was Parson Thacher's slave. Some 



of the original bricks are preserved 
in the tree trunk. 

Of Thomas Vose's land at Brush 
Hill, the forty acres of upland and 
one half of the two separate lots of 
common land, probably extended on 
Brush Hill Road to Paul's bridge, and 
included the lot on which Henry Vose 
settled when he went from Providence 
Plain to Brush Hill. The forty acres 
of Blue Hill meadow were a part of 
the "Fowl Meadows." 

The 50th lot was a tract of fifty- 
acres and embraced what is now the 
Eustis estate, including both sides of 
the present Canton Avenue. 

Thomas, son of Robert Vose was a 
man of note in his day. "For many 
years he was town recorder, and un- 
der his management the town records 
assumed a systematic and business- 
like form." 

Among the earliest records relating 
to schools we find: "March 4th, 1669, 
Thomas Vose was chosen scoole mas- 
ter for the East end of the town to 
teach children and youth to write 
he eccepting the same." "The school 
was at the head of Vose's now Church- 
ill's Lane. There is good evidence 
that it was kept in the old meeting- 
house, doubtless used for both pur- 
poses." The old town Records bear 
testimony to the beauty of his pen- 
manship. For seventeen years he serv- 
ed as town clerk; eighteen years as 
selectman; ten years as Representa- 
tive to the General Court and was ap- 
pointed on the church and town com- 
mittees of his day. He was lieuten- 
ant under Capt. Wadsworth in King 
Phillip's war; he was commissioned 
Captain in the war against the In- 
dians; and was appointed one of the 
Captains in the expedition to Can- 
ada. 

Thomas Vose died in 1708. His de- 
scendants settled on the ancestral 
lands at Brush Hill, and on Canton 
Avenue near Atherton Street. "The 
old Vose house," so called, on Brush 
Hill, stood on the south side of Brush 
Hill Road nearly opposite the Elijah 
Tucker house. Capt. Thomas Vose, 
great grandson of Robert, lived in a 
house that stood on Canton Avenue 
near the corner of Atherton Street. 



ROBERT VOSE AND HIS TIMES 



In this house was born Daniel Vose, 
who built the Suffolk Resolves house 
near the landing at Milton Lower 
Mills; it was afterwards removed to 
its present location and enlarged. 
The landing was included in the deed 
cf conveyance of Ann Glover to 
Robert Vose. 

Robert's youngest daughter, Mar- 
tha, married first, John Sharp of 
?*Inddy River (later Brookline). He 
was a lieutenant under Capt. Samuel 
Wadsworth. of Milton and with him 
lost his life in the Indian ambuscade 
in Sudbury, whither they had gone to 
succor the imperilled inhabitants. 
She was left with children and later 
married Jabez Buckminster, whom 
she also outlived. 

After disposing of his real estate 
there remained to Robert Vose only 
his personal property to^ be distrib- 
uted. His will, written on the 10th of 
September, 1683, is as follows: 

"In the name of God Amen, the last 
Will and Testament of Robert Vose 
oi Milton in the County of Suffolke 
in the Massachusetts Colony in New 
England, Yeoman, having my ordi- 
nary reason and understanding and 
memory blessed bee the Lord for the 
same: And whereas I have already 
setled and disposed my Housing and 
Lands and stock of cattle unto my 
two Sons Edward Vose and Thomas 
Vose as by deeds under my hand and 
scale may appeare. And also have 
made provision for the paying of my 
debts and for my own maintenance 
and funeral charges after my decease 
by my son Edward Vose under his 
hand and seale bearing date the twen- 
tieth day of February, 1682, do now 
make this my last Will and Testa- 
ment. And first of all I renounce, re- 
ject and make void all former wills 
and Testaments by me made. Item, I 
give unto my loveing daughter Mar- 
tha Buckminster my Bed and Bed- 
steed with all the Clothing and Furni- 
ture belonging to it, after my decease, 
with my trunke and small chest in my 
bed chamber: Item, My will is that 
all my Books bee equally divided 
amongst my three children Edward 
Vose, Thomas and Martha. Item, My 
will is that all my househoild goods 



shal bee my son Edward's after my 
decease. Item, My will is that what 
I do hereby give my daughter Martha 
shal bee bestowed on her children if 
shee do not spend them herselfe for 
her own maintenance; Item, I do ap- 
point my two sons Edward Vose and 
Thomas Vose to bee my Execut'rs of 
this my last Will and Testam't. In 
Witness whereof I have hereunto Set 
My hand and Seale this 10th day of 
September, 1683. 

ROBERT VOSE. 

Signed and sealed in presence of 
Rob't Badcock, Walter Morey." 

On the 11th day of the following 
month he died, aged 84 years. His 
wife, Jane, died jn Milton, 1675. 

"Robert Vose lived here through a 
long life, respected and honored by 
his fellow-citizens, and came to his 
grave 'in a full age like as a shock 
of corn Cometh in in his season." "' 
It is to be regretted that no stone 
marks his resting place In 
the old Vose lot in Milton cemetery. 

With commendable civic pride Mil- 
ton has perpetuated the names of 
several of her early settlers in her 
public school buildings. The Vose 
school house with its broad outlook 
over the wide territory of Robert 
Vose's homestead, furnishes a fitting 
memorial to one of the founders of 
the town and his numerous worthy 
descendants. ■ 

Books Consulted: 

Shaw, W. A., Editor, Plundered Min- 
ister:s Accounts: Halley, Robt., Lan- 
cashire, its Puritanism and Noncon- 
formity: Publications of Historic Soc. 
of Lancashire and Cheshire; Tucker, 
J. A.. First Four Meeting Houses of 
Milton, Mass.; Dorchester Town Rec- 
ords; Milton Town Records: Teele, A. 
K., History of Milton: Lechford. Plain 
Dealing; Sewa<ll, S., Diary; Judd, His- 
tory of Hadley; Ellis, G. E., Puritan 
Age in Mass.; Earle, Alice Morse. 
The Sabbath in Puritan New Eng- 
land; Customs and Fashions in old 
New England; Colonial Laws; Suffolk 
County Deeds; Probate Records Suf- 
folk County; Probate Records Norfolk 
County. 




THE VOSE SCHOOLHOUSE. 



PO 



18 



